Larry and Rita work things out
by Doctor Foster
Summary: Larry and Rita's latest adventure reaches its conclusion


Part 3

Rita grew to gigantic size and hurried towards the docks – Hurried, that is, as careful as she could so as not to tread on anything or anyone. Even so, in her giant form she was able to get there in hardly any time at all. As she neared her destination, she passed police road-blocks and TV camera-crews on the perimeter of the scrap-yard. She then came face-to-face with the leviathan who was feeding scrap-metal into the make-shift furnace.

The human-sized alien also noticed Rita's arrival and immediately issued a command to the giant who then advanced to head off Rita's approach. It stopped dead in its tracks though as Rita expanded to her ultimate size. She was now nearly twice the size of the giant and after a brief wrestling match she was able to overpower him and keep him imprisoned within an improvised set of arm and leg manacles that she bent into shape from scrap metal that she found to hand. She then turned her attention to the alien.

Rita reduced her size and approached the alien. The creature stood its ground and watched her approach. Rita could now also see the energy sphere in which the Negative Man was imprisoned. This Negative Man however, was like nothing that Rita had ever seen before. He was more man-like and three-dimensional. In fact, it wasn't a blur of black lightning that was trapped in the sphere but a negative version of Larry Trainor. And he was conscious and watching Rita as she closed in on the alien.

The alien was humanoid and of a slender build. It was dressed in an all-one suit and a goldfish-bowl helmet. Its head was vaguely human but of a purple complexion and with small black eyes. It held a small device in its hand and watched Rita's approach with interest but not alarm.

As Rita surged closer however, the alien released a wall of energy from the device it held in its hand which formed a barrier between Rita and itself. Rita hit this barrier hard but she recovered quickly.

"Your aggression is not necessary," the alien said to Rita. "I mean you no harm and yet you have attacked my servant."

Rita paused before replying: "You have imprisoned a friend." She pointed at the sphere containing the Negative Man and the alien turned to see where she had indicated.

"This random energy pattern is a friend?" it said. "I have been using it as a source of energy to re-power my spacecraft." The alien seemed genuinely surprised. "Is this energy sentient?"

Rita explained that the Negative Man was an energy extension of Larry Trainor and that he was, indeed, sentient. In reply, the alien apologised and extinguished the sphere that imprisoned him. "My spacecraft developed a mechanical failure. I landed here to make repairs – to reconstruct my transmitter with the metal from this storage facility. When your friend arrived, I just thought that it was a suitable energy source that I could use. I am sorry for any harm that I have caused."

With the energy barrier and imprisoning sphere gone, Larry now stood next to Rita. "This is impossible," Larry said. "I'm still alive." Rita reached out and touched his arm. "You appear to be three dimensional and yet I still cannot touch you," she said as her hand passed right through his arm. "You look like a negative version of Larry and not a black blur! It must be because this alien has drained energy from you to power his ship."

The alien addressed Larry: "I apologise if I have harmed you. That was not my intention."

"Not at all … In fact … I think that you have changed my life for the better. In draining off some of my negative energy I think that I am now free of the restriction that meant I needed to return to my corporeal self within sixty seconds," Larry announced.

"And you have freed me of the need to stay on your planet any longer. My ship's engine is now fully charged and the new transmitter is complete and ready to be installed." The alien then turned to Rita: "If you would free my servant?"

Rita released the giant from its metal manacles and it immediately finished putting together the parts that made up a metal cube that was around six feet squared. The giant then lifted up the cube and carried it towards the alien's craft which although it had been floating invisibly above the scrap-yard was now fully visible. The giant entered the craft and was followed by the alien. Rita and the Negative Larry watched as the ship's door sealed itself and after a few more minutes it surged noiselessly upwards and away from the Earth.

Rita turned to Larry: "How do you feel?" she asked.

"Fine, just fine… You look great in your old uniform."

"It was the only one I could find at short notice."

"You should wear it again …I like you in green."

Rita grinned. It was not often that Larry paid her a compliment and she revelled in the moment.

"I'm going to shoot back to my apartment," he said.

"Your neighbour is there." Rita explained.

"I have neighbours?"

"Yes and her name is Enid. Be nice to her!"

Larry smiled and shot straight up into the air and headed back towards his apartment block. He entered his rooms through the wall and stood in the apartment in front of his comatose and bandaged body. At his appearance, Enid gave a squeak of alarm but recovered her composure remarkably quickly.

"You must be Enid," the Negative Larry said. She nodded her reply. Larry then stepped into his comatose body and bandaged Larry awoke and stood up. He sighed. "There's never a dull day in the Doom Patrol," he said.

[END]


End file.
